My Blood Legacy: Bloodlines

Victor did not move.

Yu Jin Cheon’s command remained at the center of the room, simple and heavy, but he continued standing. His muscles were rigid, his breathing controlled, and the second refinement ring pulsed around his heart while he tried to understand the pressure beginning to descend over his body.

"I ordered you to kneel," Yu Jin Cheon said.

Victor held his gaze.

"And I decided not to."

The pressure increased without any visible movement from the Heavenly Demon. The floor beneath Victor’s feet sank several millimeters, and his knees were forced to bend. It was not merely a force pressing down on his shoulders. It felt as though his own body had recognized Yu Jin Cheon as a superior existence and was trying to obey on its own.

Victor contracted his legs and resisted.

The bones began to crack.

The force increased again, and both knees shattered at the same time. The joints were crushed inward, the ligaments tore, and his legs lost support. His body descended several inches, but Victor drove his feet into the floor and kept his torso upright while his regeneration rebuilt the bones before he touched the ground.

His legs straightened again.

The pressure continued.

His knees broke a second time.

Victor stood again.

The process repeated within seconds. Bones were crushed, muscles tore, blood vessels ruptured, and his regeneration rebuilt everything before he completed the falling motion. Pain crossed his body constantly, but Victor never looked away.

Yu Jin Cheon watched him in silence.

On the fourth time, the force disappeared.

Victor remained standing, blood running down his legs and small bone fragments still being pushed back into place. His breathing was heavier, but his posture remained firm.

"I can sit down to talk," he said. "But I will not kneel."

Yu Jin Cheon looked at him for several seconds.

Then he began laughing.

It was not a loud or threatening laugh. The old man merely raised one hand to his face and released a short chuckle, genuinely entertained by Victor’s decision.

"You are interesting."

"I hear that often."

"I imagine people also call you an idiot."

"With similar frequency."

Yu Jin Cheon nodded, still smiling, as though the answer had confirmed some private conclusion. Victor used the moment to observe the training field. Rakshasa should have been nearby. She had been the last person to use that room with him and did not normally hide her presence when she wanted to follow his progress.

There was no sign of her.

Asura had disappeared as well, along with the fragrance of moon flowers that had remained in the air during training. Victor expanded his perception through the nearby corridors, the garden, and the surrounding rooms, but found no trace of the vampire.

Yu Jin Cheon noticed the movement of his eyes.

"If you are searching for Yu Seol-Ha, you will be disappointed."

Victor looked back at him.

"Yu Seol-Ha?"

"Rakshasa is a title." The old man made an indifferent gesture with one hand. "My daughter was born with a name."

’Ah... I forgot.’ Victor laughed internally. He was used to calling her Rakshasa, and everyone else called her that too.

"Where is she?"

"She went to retrieve something."

"When?"

"Approximately one hour ago."

Victor looked toward the room’s entrance again. He had not noticed Rakshasa leaving, even though he had been training only a few meters from her before beginning the refinement. The conclusion was not pleasant.

Yu Jin Cheon clasped his hands behind his back.

"You became so focused on growing stronger that you forgot your surroundings. My daughter left, servants crossed the corridor three times, and one of the external barriers activated for several seconds. You noticed none of it."

Victor did not answer.

"That is a problem," Yu Jin Cheon continued. "Power without perception turns you into a more durable target. Nothing more."

"I was refining my vessels."

"And you would have died while refining them."

Victor discreetly moved his circulation through his legs, confirming that his knees had been rebuilt correctly.

"That does not matter now."

"Naturally." Yu Jin Cheon tilted his head. "Young people always say their mistakes do not matter when someone points them out."

Victor extended his hand.

Lilith left his arm as a current of blood and took the form of a sword. The blade stabilized between his fingers while Black Ice began spreading across its surface. He had no intention of defeating Yu Jin Cheon. He was not arrogant enough to believe that possibility existed.

But he would not remain unarmed either.

Victor began drawing Lilith into the stance Rakshasa had taught him.

The sword came apart.

There was no strike.

No technique was used.

Yu Jin Cheon’s aura touched the blade, and all the blood composing Lilith lost its form at once. The weapon dissolved into a red mist before Victor finished raising his arm. The Black Ice vanished with it, as though it had never been summoned.

Lilith returned inside him in complete silence.

Victor looked at his empty hand.

"She did not like that."

"Living weapons tend to be sensitive," Yu Jin Cheon replied. "Especially when they realize they can be destroyed."

"Did you come here to threaten my sword?"

"I came to discover why my daughter has been so happy."

The faint amusement disappeared from his face.

His eyes remained on Victor, but they became empty. There was no anger, curiosity, or any clear emotion in that expression. It was the gaze of someone who had already decided that killing was an acceptable option and was merely checking whether there was any reason not to do it.

"Yu Seol-Ha has not shown genuine interest in anyone for a long time," he said. "She has fun, provokes, and loses interest. This time, she began preparing techniques, reviewing manuals, and choosing clothes before traveling. She even brought Asura."

Victor remained alert.

"She chooses clothes often."

"Not for men."

"Then you should trust her judgment."

"I trust her judgment in battle, politics, and cultivation." Yu Jin Cheon took one step toward him. "I do not trust it when it concerns someone who may play with her feelings."

The pressure returned to the room, although this time it did not try to force Victor to kneel. It merely closed every escape route and reminded him that the man before him completely controlled the conversation.

Victor understood the problem.

’Shit. A damned doting father—’

The thought never finished.

The left half of his body separated.

Victor did not see Yu Jin Cheon move. One instant, he was whole. The next, his left arm, part of his ribs, lung, hip, and leg had been cut away by a line so clean that the pain took a fraction of a second to appear.

Blood exploded across the floor.

Victor lost his balance, but his regeneration reacted immediately. Threads of flesh and blood emerged from both halves, met within the empty space, and pulled the body back together. Bones grew, organs were reconstructed, and the skin closed before the severed half finished falling.

He planted his feet firmly on the floor.

Yu Jin Cheon observed the entire process.

"High-level regeneration. Good."

Victor took a deep breath. His right hand had moved by instinct to protect his heart, although he knew it would make no difference.

"Was that your way of confirming it?"

"It was."

"You could have asked."

"You could have lied."

"I also could have died."

"If that had killed you, you would not be suitable for my daughter."

Victor felt the second ring working around his heart, accelerating circulation to replace the lost blood. The reconstruction had been fast, but it was not free. The energy consumed was far greater than with an ordinary wound, especially because Yu Jin Cheon’s cut had left a strange sensation in the regenerated area.

It was not poison.

It was residual intent trying to prevent the cells from recognizing one another.

Victor needed to concentrate his regeneration for several seconds to eliminate it completely.

Yu Jin Cheon noticed.

"You can also remove another person’s intent from your body."

"With difficulty."

"But you can."

The old man approached until he stood a little more than an arm’s length away. Victor did not retreat, although every instinct still ordered him to create distance.

"I did not come to prevent you from staying close to Yu Seol-Ha," Yu Jin Cheon said. "She would tear my head off if I tried to decide her life for her."

"Then this entire conversation is unnecessary."

"I came to verify whether you understand what you are doing."

Victor stared into his empty eyes.

"And what is your conclusion?"

"I have not finished yet."

Yu Jin Cheon raised one hand. Two fingers aligned toward Victor’s chest without touching him. Even so, the skin above his heart opened in a short line.

"You possess regeneration, adaptive blood, three unusual energies, and a living weapon. My daughter gave you techniques capable of making all of that far more dangerous." He lowered his hand. "But you still train like someone who believes any problem can be solved by accumulating enough strength."

Victor closed the cut on his chest.

"In many cases, it can."

"Until you meet someone stronger."

"Then I become stronger."

Yu Jin Cheon released another short laugh.

"That answer explains why she likes you."

"It is good to know we have something in common."

"Do not mistake my amusement for approval."

"Do not mistake my fear for submission."

The old man’s smile disappeared again.

For a moment, Victor believed he would be cut once more. His blood accelerated, the first stage covered his body, and the second reinforced his vessels. Lilith tried to emerge inside his arm, but he kept her contained. Drawing her again would only cause the weapon to be dissolved.

Yu Jin Cheon observed every preparation.

"You are afraid of me."

"Yes."

"And you still provoke me."

"Fear does not change who I am."

"It can, once you feel enough pain."

"Then you will need to keep trying."

The silence lasted several seconds.

Yu Jin Cheon smiled again.

This time, there was slightly more interest in his eyes.

"Truly interesting."

Victor relaxed only enough not to waste energy, but kept his circulation ready.

"What do you intend to do now?"

"Test the first technique my daughter taught you."

"You dissolved my sword."

"She did not teach you to depend on the sword."

Yu Jin Cheon turned and walked toward the center of the room. When he reached the area marked by Rakshasa’s training, he stopped and looked at Victor over his shoulder.

"Form another blade."

"You will dissolve it again."

"Then form one that cannot be dissolved."

Victor remained silent.

The old man raised an eyebrow.

"Or are you going to tell my daughter you gave up because her father was rude?"

Lilith reacted inside Victor’s arm.

This time, not with fear.

With irritation.

Blood began leaving his palm again, denser and accompanied by a thin layer of White Fire woven through the structure. Victor controlled the amount so he would not destroy his own weapon, using the flames only as a barrier around the essence.

Yu Jin Cheon observed the new formation.

"Better."

Victor assumed the stance of the Executioner’s Step.

"You wanted to discover why your daughter was happy."

"Yes."

"Perhaps she likes watching me try stupid things."

"That seems quite likely."

Victor aligned his feet, relaxed his shoulder, and concentrated the strength of his entire body along the line in front of him.

Yu Jin Cheon stood still without assuming any guard.

"Come," he said. "Show me whether you deserve to remain her disciple."